GM's suicidal robot

Date: Monday, February 12, 2007 11:29 AM

<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1639 -- 2/12/2007 >>>>>

General Motors televised a Super Bowl ad starring a robot with a very clear
message -- make a mistake on a GM assembly line and you will be out of a
job, on the street, and contemplating suicide.

Most of the controversy about the GM Super Bowl TV ad centers on its
glorification of suicide as a solution for depression. The idea must have
been dreamed up by GM executives who prefer dead people over ex-employees
who draw down profits by collecting unemployment and retirement benefits.

The ad is on youtube and many other places on the internet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQKk3PI-DW8

Check out this trailer for the ad:
http://www.ifilm.com/video/2818995?ns=1

Here is a short video where GM people brag about the making of the
commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjrtPiHaCBw

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http://www.dailysouthtown.com/news/robaugh/251643,111ROB1.article

A screw loose at GM?
(http://www.dailysouthtown.com/news/robaugh/251643,111ROB1.article)

February 11, 2007

Instead of titling General Motors' latest advertisement "Robot," the ad
agency folks who produced the spot should call it "Getting Screwed and
Offing Yourself."

During last Sunday's Super Bowl, 90 million-some viewers had a chance to
see the carmaker debut the new commercial.

Designed to tout a new focus on quality manufacturing, a cute assembly line
robot drops a screw, gets fired, looks for a new job, suffers humiliation
and depression, then drops from a bridge -- apparently ending it all.

In a column published Tuesday, I wondered whether I was alone in
immediately thinking of autoworkers who've lost their jobs over the past 20
to 30 years, many forced to wander from place to place in search of a job.

One reader, who asked to remain unnamed, said he let GM know his
displeasure.

"The Midwest gets the insensitivity. I'll bet the East and West Coast
people love it and probably were the focus group for the ad agency and GM,"
he wrote. "The Midwest is a loyal market to the Big Three, but I'm guessing
they want to placate the coastal markets.

"Big mistake from my perspective as I will think long and hard when my GM
is replaced."

A friend let me know GM was getting some heat over the ad -- but not for
disrespecting the memory of the autoworkers who once toiled in its
shuttered plants.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention issued a statement, CNN.com
reported, saying the ad sends dangerous and insensitive messages and asking
that the ad be pulled.

"The ad, in its carelessness, portrays suicide as a viable option when
someone fails or loses their job. ... Research has also shown that graphic,
sensationalized or romanticized descriptions of suicide deaths in any
medium can contribute to suicide contagion, popularly referred to as
'copycat' suicides."

That sounds like "what's good enough for a cute fictional robot must be
good enough for me." I don't buy that.

But GM unwittingly tapped into a historical parallel.

The town of Flint, Mich., devastated by the shuttering of GM factories and
featured in the documentary "Roger & Me," experienced close to 25 percent
unemployment after the auto-based economy collapsed.

One out of four people were out of work.

And suicides rose.

Academics and medical experts wrote studies on the phenomenon.

GM, however, says the cute robot ad will remain on the air.

Company spokeswoman Ryndee Carney told CNN the commercial spot underscores
how GM employees are making the best vehicles in its history.

"Our robot ad is a story of GM's commitment to quality," she told the news
channel. "That was the predominant impression by previewers of the ad."

As the robot hits the water, the commercial cuts back to the robot still
working on the factory floor. The tale of woe was just a panicked vision of
the potential consequences that would befall anyone who might not measure
up to GM's zealous new focus on quality.

GM is making more job cuts and other changes as it retools itself for the
future. I'm not saying that shouldn't be done.

Neither would I suggest assembly-line automation was an evolution that
needn't have taken place, either.

But in this bid to remake your image, GM, don't let clever, cute and
entertaining fuzz up the message.

Find a way to attract new customers.

But don't forget who bought your cars when you weren't so careful with
those screws.

Dennis Robaugh may be reached at
drobaugh@dailysouthtown.com.

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http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070131/BIZ/701310365/1001

Local robot's sad Super Bowl story

GM extols its commitment to quality in TV, online ad campaign

Sharon Terlep / The Detroit News

A lovable but clumsy robot will get the boot from General Motors Corp. in
the company's upcoming Super Bowl commercial, set in Lansing, which aims to
stress the automaker's relentless quest for quality.

The 60-second spot, called "The Robot," features a small robot working on
the assembly line at the Grand River Assembly plant, where part of the ad
was filmed.

The robot, an oddly-cute digital creation capable of contorting its nuts
and bolts into human expressions, mistakenly drops a screw while working on
the line making Cadillacs.

The gaffe forces the line to shut down, drawing the ire of flesh-and-blood
co-workers who evict the penitent robot from the factory.

Cameras then follow the robot as it tries to make a living working
thankless odd jobs to pay for whatever it is a robot needs to survive.

GM hopes the spot, which highlights its 100,000-mile/five-year powertrain
warranty on new models, will strike a chord with consumers not yet
convinced the automaker can compete with foreign rivals on vehicle quality
by showing even machines can't mess up these days at GM.

"The spot was inspired by the commitment to quality we really have observed
inside the walls of GM," said Eric Hirshberg, president and chief creative
officer of Deutsch L.A., which helped create the spot.

After the Super Bowl gig, "Robot" will go on to make appearances online at
sites such as Yahoo!, AOL and MSN, and in banner ads on ESPN.com and
Edmunds.com.

GM also plans a concerted effort to spread the image by making sure it
shows up on blogs and other Web sites that post user-generated material.

"General Motors is building the best cars, trucks, SUVs and crossovers in
our history," Mike Jackson, GM North America vice president of marketing
and advertizing, said in a statement. "'Robot' will help us continue to get
the word out."

The world's largest automaker is spending millions to get the attention of
Super Bowl viewers, many of whom tune in as much for the commercials as the
game. This year, advertisers reportedly are paying more than $2.6 million
for a 30-second spot.

GM also will air other ads during the Super Bowl broadcast, including one
produced by college students who won a competition staged by the company.
Ford Motor Co., Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. also will advertise
during the Super Bowl.

TSN Media Intelligence estimates firms have spent $1.72 billion in ads
during the games over the past 20 years. GM has spent the third most -- $66
million -- of any company since 1987.

Success depends in large part on whether the company is genuine in its
message, said Timothy Blett, president of the Doner advertising agency in
Southfield.

"People's B.S. meter is up more than 50 percent over the last few years,"
Blett said. "It has to be believable."

You can reach Sharon Terlep at (313)223-4686 or sterlep@detnews.com.

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